The Heart Wont Lie
by kkcnelson2002
Summary: Sometimes faking your death can lead to a whole new life! That's what Elizabeth Webber found when she turned to a man who'd become an unlikely but welcome friend.


This story was written for a song fiction challenge over at The No Name and I would like to thank Lisa for all her help editing the story. If you are interested in reading stories based on the character of JasonMorgan than I recommend her site as your first stop. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: All characters that are the property of ABC, Inc. and The Disney Corporation are fully acknowledged. No copyright infringement intended. All character identities are merely borrowed for fun. Story Concept and Original characters are the property of the authors publishing as KKCNelson2002. Lyrics to The Heart Won't Lie by Kim Carnes, Donna Terry Weiss, 1993.

_**I know I've tried  
The heart won't lie  
You can live your alibi  
Who can see you're lost inside a foolish disguise  
The heart won't lie**_

The warm breeze gently wove around her as she stood watching the sun set from the penthouse suite of Sonny's Puerto Rican casino resort. Elizabeth had changed out of her work clothes of tailored suit and heels, into a tank top and long flowing skirt.

Taking her glass of wine with her to the outdoor living room where the warm tiles soothed her bare feet. The air smelled of the distant rain clouds and she laughed softly to herself as The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks wafted through from the American radio station she'd put on in the other room.

When she arrived on the island Elizabeth thought she would, maybe, stay for a week or two in one of the regular hotel rooms and play on the beach. She should have anticipated the argument with Sonny about her moving into the largest of the penthouses, she had only given in when Sonny insisted this penthouse was never rented to guests and was just sitting empty.

At the time she still thought she owed Lucky and she should return to him. Two high school kids permanent lock still intact. Now, almost a year later, the life she had in Port Charles felt a world away.

When she first went to Sonny he was dealing with business problems of his own and yet he dropped everything to help her. While Bobby had given her the drugs to fake her death, it was Sonny who went over the plan with her again and again, refining every detail and correcting every weakness. It was Sonny who watched her 'die' time after time until HE was sure it looked real. It surprised her the time he spent, but after getting to know the real Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos she could better understand the love Jason had for him.

Sonny had stepped in and filled a hole in her life she didn't even know was there. It was where a father or big brother should have been, but never was. Steven was in college when she was born and they never really got to know each other, and while her father physically left years ago, he checked out of her life long before that.

Maybe if they had been around, things would have been different. Maybe she would still live in Boulder and still be riding horses with her best friend. Maybe she never would have met the Spencers and Cassadines. Maybe she never would have become a part of their Hatfield and McCoy feud.

Elizabeth sighed and pushed a hand though her curly hair as a stronger gust of wind blew in with the oncoming storm. Maybe she wouldn't have met Lucky and maybe she wouldn't have been raped. But then she wouldn't have met Jason or Sonny. Maybe they were worth it.

Her favorite part of the penthouse was the large outdoor living room that was connected to the indoor living room by floor to ceiling glass panels, turning Elizabeth closed the doors that lined one whole wall as the first raindrops fell. The storm outside reflected her mood tonight as old memories danced across her soul. Elizabeth curled into the corner of the white leather couch and took a sip of her wine just as ringing could be heard from the phone on the side table next to her.

"Hello," she answered, already knowing it would be Sonny.

_"Hey, how are you?"_ She could see him in her mind's eye with his own glass of brandy, a tradition that started when he visited so much during her first months in Puerto Rico. Sitting on the couch together, Sonny with a glass of brandy and she with which ever wine Sonny was teaching her to appreciate, as they talked about their day.

"Good, the new Front Staff is doing well and profits are up this quarter due to the upgrades to the slots."

_"Elizabeth,"_ She could hear the exasperation in his voice as she swirled her wine in her glass. _"I called to talk to YOU not my Management Trainee, but Bernie told me earlier and he is very impressed with how well you doing and wants to start teaching you more. If I'm not careful you'll be running my casino in a few years."_

"Would that really be such a bad thing?" She stood and started to pace toward the far corner of the room where her easel was set-up. "What if I don't want to come back to Port Charles, what if I found a new home?"

_"I would miss you."_ Sonny paused and she could hear him take a deep breath, shift in his chair and toss something on the nearby table._ "I would miss my friend sitting here with me as we talk about our day, but you need to do what's best for you. I was too selfish with Jason, demanding all of his attention but I'm trying to be better."_

"I'd miss you too, Sonny," Elizabeth admitted with a small hitch in her voice. "But we both know you're the only one who truly misses me there."

_"Have you talked to your any of your friends or family?" _At the sound of his soft voice a single tear fell down her face as she gazed back out the window.

"I spoke to Gran last month. I think she is finally starting to understand that I'm safe and happy here. That I'm never going to be a doctor or nurse. I had to find my own path and I hope she is starting to respect my journey. She might even break down and tell you 'thank you' one day, but don't hold your breath," she finished with a small laugh and moved back toward the couch.

_"I don't see that happening either." _Sonny laughed for a minute. _"Have you heard anything from Lucky?"_

"No, not in the last 8 months. Why?" Elizabeth asked as she sat back down.

_"So you haven't heard then?"_ Sonny asked in a serious tone of voice.

"Heard what?"

Sonny paused on the other end.

"Sonny, what's wrong, did something happen?" Elizabeth rubbed her brows to ease the tension there as she took a drink. "Sonny, tell me."

_"Lucky was hired at the PCPD."_

Elizabeth spit out a mouth full wine and gasped for breath.

"WHAT?! Who in their right minds would hire someone who has been brainwashed and has anger management problems to be a cop!"

She could hear Sonny laughing on the other end.

"Sonny this means someone gave him a gun! How did he pass the psych test?" She was still yelling as she as she stood and waved her arms to drive home her point even though Sonny couldn't see her.

_"STOP, Elizabeth I can't breathe!"_ Sonny exclaimed as he gasped for breath from laughing so hard.

"This is NOT funny!" Elizabeth banged her hand on the desk next to the door that she had passed she marched around the room.

_"Sure it is the PCPD will never solve another case. All I'll have to do is show him a crystal and tell him what to do."_ Elizabeth could hear him slap his knee in laughter as she remained silent on the line._ "Okay, okay I'll stop."_ He promised as she could hear to him try to control his breathing.

"Fine," she huffed as she moved back to sit on the couch and finished the last sip of her wine. "Have you heard from Jason?"

_**Looking back over the years  
Of All the things I've always meant to say  
But words didn't come easily  
So many times through empty fears  
Of all of the nights I tried to pick up the phone  
So scared of who might be answering**_

_"No, have you?"_ Sonny voice was somber again, almost hesitant.

"Not since he told me he was leaving Port Charles the second time. Does he even know I'm here?" She asked was she pulled a bright blue throw toward her and hugged it to her chest.

_"I thought I told you, he called just after you left. They had put a missing person APB out for you and he picked it up somehow. He demanded to know why I didn't keep you safe like he had asked." _

Sonny paused and she could hear him swallow before setting his glass down.

_"He was so mad. I haven't heard him like that in a long time. I told him everything, including that I thought you would be home in a few weeks. We haven't talked since; all of our communication is though Bernie."_

The sadness in his voice pulled at her heart.

"Sonny, he loves you. I remember that when he moved out of my studio I practically… I okay I did, I begged him to stay. He told me that he needed to leave and he had to figure out how to live. Jason, he needs time to find who he is, too." She tucked the throw more firming around herself. "When he's ready he will come back home to you."

_"I don't know if he will, I'm not sure if Port Charles is his home anymore either. He's been away more in the last couple of years than he's been here. I'm not sure I will ever get him back, again."_ She could hear the leather of his oversized chair creak as she imaged him slumping back.

"I once told Jason that he taught me how to live again, how to do things on my own. But you gave me the space to find my heart and I can never thank you enough for that." She tried to reassure him.

_"I just wish you would have figured it out sooner, I thought for sure you two would get together after Jason was shot. I even taunted Carly with it the night we betrayed him. More than once, I watched the two of you get closer only to separate again."_

"Sometimes life gets in the way," she paused wrapping her feet more comfortably under her on the couch. "Jason and I dance around one other, one of us opens up and the other backs away. We never get our timing right."

Sonny gave a small chuckle, _"Elizabeth you're talking to a man who has been involved one way or another with Carly for years, I know how dysfunctional relationships can be."_

"True, are you still planning on bringing Carly and Michael with you next week?" She was almost holding her breath.

_"Yeah, look I have to go. I'll call you next week before we leave." _Elizabeth could hear in his voice that his mood was darker than she liked to leave him.

"So, I can alert the staff of an incoming hurricane?" She put enough snark in her voice to try to get Sonny to laugh from miles away.

_"Funny, very funny, take care of yourself."_ She knew he was trying for her sake.

"Be safe, bye." Elizabeth disconnected the call and moved to stand against the door frame and watch the panoramic view of the waves crashing the shore while the dark clouds filled the sky and lightning played between the two.

As she reflected on her conversation with Sonny a new song began playing on the radio. As Vince Gill and Reba McIntire sang about love she could almost see it as a backdrop to her short history with Jason. She knew she had lived her alibi and Jason had always seen right through it.

_**Long after tonight  
Will you still hear my voice through the radio  
Old desires make us act carelessly  
Long after tonight, after the fire  
After the scattered ashes fly  
Through the four winds blown and gone  
Will you come back to me?**_

Her head turned at the sound of someone jiggling the lock on the penthouse door. She stood silhouetted by the storm behind her, as the door opened and lighting flashed his face came into view.

_**Looking back over the years  
Of All the things I've always meant to say  
But words didn't come easily  
So many times through empty fears **_

"Elizabeth?" He dropped a duffle bag on the floor as he looked at her hopefully.

"Jason," came out somewhere between a whisper and a shriek as she raced across the room and into his waiting arms. "Where have you been? What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell any you were coming? Sorry, sorry I know I'm babbling."

"Bernie told me you were still here," Jason smiled her as she stepped out of his arms.

"I'm glad you came." Elizabeth ran a hand nervously through her hair but didn't quite move out of Jason's personal space. "Hmm, come on in." She continued as she turned to walk toward the couch.

Jason reached out and grabbed her arm turning her back to him and bringing her flush against his chest.  
His hand moved to cradle her head as he moved to rest his forehead on hers.

"I need…" he paused. "We need to talk." With that he pulled away and with one hand closed the door behind him as the other caught her hand.

Elizabeth led him over to the couch while turning on the table lamps as they passed. Jason could see flashes of color throughout the room, traces of Elizabeth that had found their way in. He smiled as he looked over to the fireplace on the far wall. Her painting of 'The Wind' hung above it and the red Murano Venetian Italian Glass vase he sent her last Christmas sat on the mantle.

"You still have it," he gestured toward the painting as they sat down next to each other on the couch. "'The Wind' I mean, I thought maybe you left it in your studio."

Elizabeth shifted to face him on the couch until their knees almost touched, "When I knew I wasn't going back Sonny shipped it for me." She nervously bit her bottom lip, "I hope you don't mind. I mean if you want me to ship it to Harborview I will."

"Why would you ship it there," Jason asked.

"Oh, I just thought maybe you would want it in your penthouse or something," Elizabeth pulled on one of her curls as Jason captured her hand to still it.

"Elizabeth, I sold the penthouse. I'm not going back to Port Charles." He continued to hold her hand as he shifted his body to face hers.

"Then where…" Elizabeth started to ask as he watched the small crease appear between her brows.

"A long time ago you once told me that you wanted to live alone," he let go of her hand and reached up to push her hair behind her ear, "but what you really meant was you wanted to live alone with me. I was hoping that's still true. I want to come home."

_**You try to live your life from day to day  
But seeing you across the room tonight  
Just gives me away  
Cause the heart won't lie**_

Elizabeth tilled her head into his hand as she paused for a long moment. "I don't understand, where is home?"

Jason smirked at her.

"Home is wherever you are and wherever you hopefully want to live alone with me." Jason could see the confusion in her eyes and she silently started to chew on her bottom lip.

"It's not often I make you speechless." His thumb slid over to pull her bottom lip from between her teeth. "I've had a lot of time to think and I finally realized that no one is perfect, not Sonny, not Carly, not you, but most of all not me. We all make mistakes but it's what we do about them that matters most."

_**Old desires make us act carelessly  
Long after tonight, after the fire  
After the scattered ashes fly  
Through the four winds blown and gone  
Will you come back to me? **_

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she looked into his eyes and saw how softly he looked back at her. "First with Zander," she bit her lower lip, "and then all the back and forth with Lucky. I should have listened when you tried to tell me that Lucky was dangerous, a different person. I was just," she shook her head and let out a sigh, "so sure that I had to help him because he helped me. I shouldn't have listened to everyone telling me it was my job to fix Lucky."

She couldn't sit still any longer. The space between them had become too small. "After getting away from Port Charles," she continued from where she had moved to again look out at the storm, "and having the time and space to really think about all that happened I discovered that most of it really wasn't very good for me."

Elizabeth turned to look back over her shoulder at him, "I realized the only good things that happened to me were somehow connected to you." She turned back to the window, "Oh, I know the bomb and the crypt were connected to you but you always saved me. Even when Zander shot me you took care of me and a lot of that was my fault for getting between the two of you."

She looked back at him again, "Gram, Lucky, even Emily and Nickolas can't say the same. The things I have gone through…" she sighed and turned back toward the storm. "I would never have even been in that park if Lucky hadn't dumped me for Sarah, and Helena!" Elizabeth paused and shook her head, the heat from Jason's body letting her know he was behind her now.

"Helena made Sorel seem like a school yard bully. I have never met anyone so twisted in all my life and to know that she is still out there somewhere…" Jason wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to lean into his chest.

"I shouldn't have left you the night you came home from the hospital after the crypt. I should have let Carly take care of Carly." Jason felt her stiffen in his arms, "I'm sorry I failed you that night," his voice was tight with the emotions he kept to himself, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you then how much I love you," he placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"I thought," he dropped his gaze for a moment, "I thought I was giving you the choice you wanted." He looked back at her, "But I realized after I left that you were right."

Elizabeth's brow furrowed in confusion, "What…"

_**Looking back over the years  
Of All the things I've always meant to say  
But words didn't come easily **_

Jason let out a long sigh, "When we met at Vista Point and I tried to tell you it was too dangerous for us to be friends." He let out a small groan, "You were willing to be friends in secret. And I wouldn't let you, let us. You were right to call me a lair. I was just," he looked out at the storm for a moment and then back at her, "too afraid that you would pick Lucky that I didn't tell you how I felt." Jason looked deep into her eyes waiting for some kind of response.

"I was just telling Sonny that our timing sucks." Elizabeth tilted her head to look up into his eyes.

"Maybe we can get it right this time." She gave him a small smile, "I'm not going back to Port Charles, Jason. I'm not ever going back to the life I had there. I'll probably never see Lucky again, Emily has visited me here, and Nicolas... he doesn't want Helena knowing where I am, so he stays away." She stepped back to look at him more clearly, "This life, Jason, that I'm building here, with Sonny's help, this is the life I want."

She looked around the room and then back at him, "I've missed you so much and I want to be with you. I'm ready, now, to be with you, but I can't have you part time. I need to know, did you find what you were looking for. Are you ready now? Because if you're not…" she started to pull further away from him, "then I can't put us through this, again."

"Elizabeth," he pulled her back to him and tightened his arms around her. "While I was away I did a lot of thinking, too." He looked into her eyes, "You need to understand, though, that I'm going to continue to be Sonny's Enforcer. It's just not a job you can walk away from…"

She nodded.

"…but I'm not going to be as involved in the day to day operations. I want more, I want you." He leaned toward her and wrapped her in his arms, "It was you I saw in every art museum, in every glass blower's studio, and every beautiful building I wanted to show you. Not Sonny, not Carly. You."

_**Cause the heart won't lie **_

Her eyes glistened with happiness as they met his, "What are your plans now," she asked wrapping her arms around his waist.

"When Bernie told me you weren't leaving the island and that you started to work at the resort I started to make changes myself." He looked at her with an impish glint, "You know, I still own stock in ELQ. Edward wants to expand and would be more than happy to get me away from that 'thug'. What I'm trying to say is that ELQ is opening both a plant and offices in Puerto Rico and I'll be heading up the project."

"Really?" Elizabeth watched his eyes took on a twinkle.

"I may," he shrugged slightly, "have forgotten to tell the old man that I was planning on living on Sonny's resort though."

"So you're staying, I mean you're really staying here with me," Elizabeth needed to hear him say it.

"Yes," he leaned his head down toward her. "I love you and I'm staying in Puerto Rico."

Elizabeth rose up slightly on her toes, his lips claimed hers.

_**Cause the heart won't lie **_

"You know, I think I fell in love with you the night you saved me at Jake's," Elizabeth spoke as they stopped to breathe, a wide smile spread across her face. "Stay here in the penthouse and live here alone with me."

"I brought my bike," Jason moved his hands to encircle her waist lifting her up and spinning as she tossed her head back laughing.

Elizabeth wrapped her legs around his waist, as they slowed and looked into his eyes, "You do know I love you for more than just your bike, right?"

"I was hoping you might prove that to me over the next 50 or 60 years," Jason shifted her in his arms and rubbed against her.

"I'll certainly try," Elizabeth sighed into their next kiss. "The bedroom is on the right," she directed barely breaking for a breath.

"I know," he chuckled through their kiss, "I bought this penthouse 5 years ago," he kicked open the bedroom door that had been slightly ajar. Elizabeth suddenly put her hands on his shoulders and pushed back while keeping a tight grip on his waist with her legs.

"I can't believe he didn't tell me, he just said that no one ever rented this penthouse!" She pushed to get down, "Oooohh, when I talk to Sonny…" Jason walked across the room to the king size bed and held her body tight to him before moving one knee onto the bed and lowering them both as he stopped her with another kiss.

"Elizabeth," Jason said softly as he moved to trail kisses down her neck, "can you please be mad at Sonny later?" His lips were now skimming the low scoop of her tank top as Elizabeth strained to lift her chest to him.

"Sonny who," were her last coherent words for the next several hours as the storm passed. They made their own thunder into dawn and their new life together.

_**But seeing you across the room tonight  
Just gives me away  
Cause the heart won't lie**_


End file.
